Breakdown of Il a cette infection pour avoir ignoré plusieurs caries.
il
he
pour
for
avoir
to have
ce
this (before a noun)
Questions & Answers about Il a cette infection pour avoir ignoré plusieurs caries.
Why is it pour avoir ignoré instead of just pour ignorer?
Pour ignorer is the present infinitive, which implies a goal or purpose (meaning "in order to ignore"). Here, pour avoir ignoré uses the past infinitive (the auxiliary avoir + the past participle ignoré) to express the cause of something that has already been completed. It translates nicely to "for having ignored".
Could I just say parce qu'il a ignoré instead?
Yes, parce qu'il a ignoré is perfectly correct and means the exact same thing. Using pour + past infinitive is simply a slightly more elegant and concise way to express cause in French.
Can I use this pour + past infinitive structure if someone else caused the infection?
No. You can only use pour + infinitive (whether past or present) when the subject of both actions is the exact same person. If he had the infection because his dentist ignored a cavity, you would have to use a conjugated clause with a different subject, such as parce que son dentiste a ignoré.